The present invention relates in general to hide processing equipment, and in particular to a new and useful device for letting out hides to be cut and sewn together.
Equipment is known for letting out or feeding hides having a holding device for the hide, to clamping jaws cooperating like pliers and movable relative to each other in a longitudinal direction, a parting sword arranged between the jaws with a forwardly positioned hide hair divider and a cutting and sewing device for cutting the hide and sewing edges of the hide together.
Such a device can be seen from German Pat. No. 22 04 399. The equipment comprises two clamping jaws mounted above a table panel for receiving the hide, which are movable relative to each other in a lengthwise and transverse direction. Between the jaws a longitudinally displaceable parting sword is movable up and down and has a hide hair divider arranged thereon. Above the parting sword, a lowerable cutting device is arranged and laterally of the parting sword a sewing machine is arranged.
When a hide is let out, the hide hair is parted obliquely to its lateral edges to form a parting furrow in the hair, and is then bisected by a cut extending in the parting furrow. Then follows the so-called backspacing, in that one hide part is laterally offset relative to the other. The hide parts are then sewn together again, whereupon the hide is displaced crosswise to the cutting direction for the execution of the next cut. These operations are repeated until the entire hide has been let out.
During the cutting, backspacing and sewing together operations, the hide is held by the two clamping jaws. After the sewing operation, the jaws are moved apart, whereby the hide is stretched and the fold formed after the parting operation, by raising the parting sword, is pulled flat in the cut or seam region. The transverse displacement of the hide that is necessary before execution of the next cutting operation is effected by a corresponding transverse shift of the rear clamping jaw. During this transverse shift the front jaw is lifted off the hide and is moved back in the direction of the parting sword. After a completed transverse shift, the front jaw is again lowered onto the hide and the rear jaw lifted and then likewise moved back in the direction of the parting sword.
In stretching the hide, it may happen that due to the different friction between the clamping jaws and the hide, the hide slips under one of the jaws, so that then the seam is off center or askew between the clamping plates. In that case an exact distance between cuts cannot be achieved during the subsequent transverse shifting of the rear clamping jaw. Additional displacements of the hide may occur due to the two clamping jaws applying at times only alternately on the hide, so that during the time the hide can be moved uncontrolled below the respective lifted clamping jaw. This may happen in particular with hides which are not flat in themselves, but for example tend to roll up in their edge zones.